Communication device and method for allocating resource blocks to a terminal

ABSTRACT

In a wireless communication base station device, a modulation unit carries out modulation processing for Dch data after coding to generate a Dch data symbol. A modulation unit carries out modulation processing for Lch data after coding to generate an Lch data symbol. An allocation unit allocates the Dch data symbol and Lch data symbol to each sub-carrier composing an OFDM symbol and outputs the allocated sub-carrier to a multiplex unit. In this case, the allocation unit allocates the Dch data symbol to a plurality of resource blocks where one Dch is arranged at an interval equal to integral multiples of the number of resource blocks composing a resource block group.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a channel mapping method and a radiocommunication base station apparatus in multicarrier communication.

Description of the Related Art

In recent years, various types of information such as images and data,in addition to voice, are transmitted in radio communication, and inmobile communication, in particular. In the future, demands for stillhigher-speed transmission are expected to further increase, and carryingout high-speed transmission requires a radio transmission technique touse limited frequency resources more efficiently and realizehigher-speed transmission efficiency.

One of radio transmission techniques capable of meeting such demands isOFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing). OFDM is amulticarrier transmission technique for transmitting data in parallelusing many subcarriers, has features such as high frequency efficiency,reduction of interference between symbols in a multipath environment andis known to be effective in improving transmission efficiency.

Discussions are underway to carry out frequency scheduling transmissionand frequency diversity transmission when frequency-domain-multiplexingdata to a plurality of radio communication mobile station apparatuses(hereinafter simply referred to as “mobile stations”) with a pluralityof subcarriers using this OFDM on a downlink.

In frequency scheduling transmission, a radio communication base stationapparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as “base station”) adaptivelyallocates subcarriers to each mobile station based on received qualityper frequency band at each mobile station, and thereby obtain multiuserdiversity effect and carry out communication very efficiently. Suchfrequency scheduling transmission is a scheme suitable for mainly datacommunication or high-speed data communication when a mobile station ismoving at a low speed. On the other hand, since frequency schedulingtransmission employs feedback of received quality information from eachmobile station, frequency scheduling transmission is unsuitable for datacommunication when the mobile station is moving at a high speed.Furthermore, frequency scheduling is normally performed per resourceblock (RB) formed into a block by grouping several neighboringsubcarriers into a transmission time unit called “subframe.” The channelfor carrying out such frequency scheduling transmission is called“localized channel” (hereinafter referred to as “Lch”).

By contrast, in the frequency diversity transmission, data for eachmobile station is distributed across and allocated to subcarriers in theentire band, and high frequency diversity effect can therefore beobtained. Furthermore, frequency diversity transmission does not requirereceived quality information from the mobile station, and therefore thisis an effective scheme in the situation as described above in which itis difficult to apply frequency scheduling transmission. On the otherhand, since frequency diversity transmission is carried out irrespectiveof the received quality at each mobile station, no multiuser diversityeffect as in the case of frequency scheduling transmission is obtained.The channel for carrying out such frequency diversity transmission iscalled “Distributed Channel (hereinafter referred to as “Dch”).

Furthermore, frequency scheduling transmission through Lch and frequencydiversity transmission through Dch may be carried out at the same time.That is, RBs used for Lch and RBs used for Dch on a plurality ofsubcarriers of one OFDM symbol may be frequency-domain-multiplexed. Inthis case, each RB and Lch are associated with each other and each RBand Dch are associated with each other in advance, and it is controlledin subframe units which RB should be used as Lch or Dch.

Furthermore, studies are being conducted to divide RBs to use for Dchinto a plurality of subblocks and configure one Dch by a combination ofdifferent RB subblocks (e.g., see Non-Patent Document 1). To be morespecific, when an RB is divided into two subblocks, one Dch is mapped totwo divided subblocks.

Non-Patent Document 1: R1-072431 “Comparison between RB-level andSub-carrier-level Distributed Transmission for Shared Data Channel inE-UTRA Downlink” 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 LTE Meeting, Kobe, Japan, 7-11 May,2007.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to the above described prior art, the interval between RBs towhich one Dch is mapped (hereinafter referred to as “RB interval”) isdetermined in advance. For example, one Dch is mapped to two RBsubblocks where the RB interval is “floor” (the number of all RBs/2).Here, the operator floor(x) denotes a maximum integer not exceeding x.Thus, only the channel number of Dch may be indicated from the basestation to the mobile station, and therefore the amount of controlinformation can be suppressed to a small value. Furthermore, Dchs can bemapped to RBs at equal intervals. Thus, since the RB interval of RB inwhich one Dch is mapped is determined in advance, the base stationallocates Dchs to resource blocks first and then allocates Lchs toresource blocks to prevent collision between Dch allocation and Lchallocation.

Here, when the base station allocates a plurality of Dchs to one mobilestation, frequency diversity effect does not substantially change nomatter which Dch is allocated to resource blocks, and therefore aplurality of Dchs with continuous channel numbers are allocated. Thus,by indicating only the first channel number and the last channel numberamong the continuous channel numbers from the base station to the mobilestation, the mobile station can judge the Dchs allocated to that mobilestation. Therefore, it is possible to reduce control information forindicating the Dch allocation result.

On the other hand, when the base station allocates Lchs, the basestation reports the RBs to which Lchs have been allocated to the mobilestation through a bitmap-type allocation report to allocate Lchs to RBsof high quality. Here, the base station groups a plurality of RBs into aplurality of RB groups, allocates Lchs in RB group units, and therebyreduce control information for indicating the Lch allocation result. Forexample, in a system with 14 RBs, mapping per RB requires 14 bits ofcontrol information, but allocation in RB group units formed with 2 RBsrequires only 7 bits of control information.

However, when Dchs are mixed with Lchs, if the RB interval between RBsto which one Dch is mapped is assumed to be the floor (the number of allRBs/2), there may be a case where Lchs cannot be allocated in RB groupunits. Therefore, there can be some unoccupied RBs and the utilizationefficiency of communication resources may deteriorate. As a result, thesystem throughput deteriorates. Here, allocating unused and unoccupiedRBs to Lchs uses Lch allocation in RB units. However, the amount ofcontrol information for indicating the Lch allocation result becomesenormous and the system throughput deteriorates as a consequence.

For example, when 14 consecutive RBs #1 to #14 in the frequency domainare each divided into two subblocks, and continuous channel numbers Dchs#1 to #14 are associated with RBs #1 to #14, one Dch is mapped atintervals of 7 (=floor(14/2)) RBs. That is, Dchs #1 to #7 are associatedwith one subblock of RBs #1 to #7 and Dchs #8 to #14 are associated withthe other subblock of RBs #1 to #7. Likewise, Dchs #1 to #7 areassociated with one subblock of RBs #8 to #14 and Dchs #8 to #14 areassociated with the other subblock of RBs #8 to #14. Thus, Dch #1 isformed with the subblock of RB #1 and the subblock of RB #8, and Dch #2is formed with the subblock of RB #2 and the subblock of RB #9. The sameapplies to Dchs #3 to #14.

Here, when two Dchs (e.g., Dch #1 and Dch #2) are allocated, Dchs areallocated to RBs #1, #2, #8 and #9 and Lchs are allocated to the rest ofthe RBs. When Lchs are allocated to units of one RB group, eachincluding two RBs, Lchs are allocated to the RB groups of (RBs #3 and#4), (RBs #5 and #6), (RBs #11 and #12) and (RBs #13 and #14). However,in the case of RB #7 and RB #10, since the other RBs constituting theirrespective RB groups are allocated to Dchs, Lchs cannot be allocated toRB #7 and RB #10. Thus, some RBs may remain unoccupied without beingused, causing the utilization efficiency of communication resources todeteriorate and thereby leading to deterioration of system throughput.Here, allocating RBs (RB #7 and RB #10) that may remain unoccupiedwithout being used to Lchs uses Lch allocation in RB units. However, Lchallocation in RB units causes the amount of control information forindicating the Lch allocation result to become enormous, leading todeterioration of system throughput as a consequence.

An embodiment provides a channel mapping method for frequency diversitytransmission and a base station capable of preventing deterioration ofsystem throughput due to deterioration in utilization efficiency ofcommunication resources when carrying out frequency schedulingtransmission and frequency diversity transmission at the same time inmulticarrier communication.

An embodiment of a channel mapping method divides a plurality ofsubcarriers comprised of a multicarrier signal into a plurality ofresource blocks and groups the plurality of resource blocks into aplurality of groups so that one distributed channel is mapped atintervals of an integer multiple of the number of resource blocksconstituting one group in the plurality of resource blocks.

An embodiment facilitates preventing of deterioration of the utilizationefficiency of communication resources when carrying out frequencyscheduling transmission and frequency diversity transmission at the sametime in multicarrier communication.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a base stationaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobilestation according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates an Lch mapping method according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates a Dch mapping method according to mapping method 1 ofan embodiment;

FIG. 5 illustrates an allocation example according to mapping method 1of an embodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates a Dch mapping method according to mapping method 1 ofan embodiment (case of division into three portions);

FIG. 7 illustrates a Dch mapping method according to mapping method 2 ofan embodiment;

FIG. 8 illustrates an allocation example according to mapping method 2of an embodiment;

FIG. 9 illustrates a Dch mapping method according to mapping method 3 ofan embodiment (when using mapping method 1);

FIG. 10 illustrates a Dch mapping method according to mapping method 3of an embodiment (when using mapping method 2);

FIG. 11 illustrates a Dch mapping method according to mapping method 4of an embodiment (when using mapping method 1);

FIG. 12 illustrates a Dch mapping method according to mapping method 4of an embodiment (when using mapping method 2);

FIG. 13 illustrates a Dch mapping method according to mapping method 5of an embodiment (when using mapping method 1); and

FIG. 14 illustrates a Dch mapping method according to mapping method 5of an embodiment (when using mapping method 2).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments will be described below in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of base station 100 according to anexample embodiment. Base station 100 divides a plurality of subcarrierscomprised of an OFDM symbol, which is a multicarrier signal, into aplurality of RBs and uses Dch and Lch for each RB of the plurality ofRBs. Furthermore, one of Dch and Lch is allocated to one mobile stationin the same subframe.

Base station 100 is provided with n (n is the number of mobile stations(MSs) with which base station 100 can communicate) encoding/modulationsections 101-1 to 101-n each comprising encoding section 11 andmodulation section 12 for Dch data, n encoding/modulation sections 102-1to 102-n each comprising encoding section 21 and modulation section 22for Lch data and n demodulation/decoding sections 115-1 to 115-n eachcomprising demodulation section 31 and decoding section 32.

In encoding/modulation sections 101-1 to 101-n, encoding section 11performs encoding processing using a turbo code or the like on Dch data#1 to #n for each of mobile stations #1 to #n and modulation section 12performs modulation processing on the encoded Dch data to therebygenerate a Dch data symbol.

In encoding/modulation sections 102-1 to 102-n, encoding section 21performs encoding processing using a turbo code or the like on Lch data#1 to #n for each of mobile stations #1 to #n and modulation section 22performs modulation processing on the encoded Lch data to therebygenerate an Lch data symbol. The coding rate and modulation scheme inthis case follows MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme: MCS) informationinputted from adaptive control section 116.

Allocation section 103 allocates the Dch data symbol and Lch data symbolto each subcarrier comprised of an OFDM symbol according to the controlfrom adaptive control section 116 and outputs the OFDM symbol tomultiplexing section 104. In this case, allocation section 103collectively allocates the Dch data symbols and Lch data symbols foreach RB. Furthermore, when allocating the Lch data symbols, allocationsection 103 groups the plurality of RBs into a plurality of groups andallocates Lchs in RB group units. Furthermore, when using a plurality ofDchs for the Dch data symbol of one mobile station, allocation section103 uses Dchs with continuous channel numbers. Furthermore, allocationsection 103 allocates the Dch data symbol to a plurality of RBs to whichone Dch is mapped at intervals of an integer multiple of the number ofRBs constituting one RB group. In each RB, the mapping positions of Dchand Lch are associated with each other in advance. That is, allocationsection 103 stores a mapping pattern, which is the association betweenDchs and Lchs, and RBs in advance and allocates the Dch data symbol andLch data symbol to each RB according to the mapping pattern. Details ofthe Dch mapping method according to the present embodiment will bedescribed later. Furthermore, allocation section 103 outputs allocationinformation of the Dch data symbol (information indicating which mobilestation's Dch data symbol is allocated to which RBs) and allocationinformation of the Lch data symbol (information indicating which RBs areallocated to the Lch data symbol of which mobile station) to controlinformation generation section 105. For example, the allocationinformation of the Dch data symbol only includes the first channelnumber and the last channel number of the continuous channel numbers.

Control information generation section 105 generates control informationincluding the allocation information of the Dch data symbol, allocationinformation of the Lch data symbol and MCS information inputted fromadaptive control section 116 and outputs the control information toencoding section 106.

Encoding section 106 performs encoding processing on the controlinformation and modulation section 107 performs modulation processing onthe encoded control information and outputs the control information tomultiplexing section 104.

Multiplexing section 104 multiplexes each data symbol inputted fromallocation section 103 with control information and outputs themultiplexing result to IFFT (inverse Fast Fourier Transform) section108. Multiplexing of control information is performed, for example,every subframe. According to the present embodiment, multiplexing ofcontrol information may be one of time domain multiplexing and frequencydomain multiplexing.

IFFT section 108 performs IFFT on a plurality of subcarriers comprisedof a plurality of RBs to which control information and data symbol areallocated, to generate an OFDM symbol, which is a multicarrier signal.

CP (Cyclic Prefix) adding section 109 adds the same signal as the lastportion of the OFDM symbol to the head of the OFDM symbol as a CP.

Radio transmitting section 110 performs transmission processing such asD/A conversion, amplification and up-conversion on the OFDM symbol witha CP and transmits the OFDM symbol from antenna 111 to each mobilestation.

On the other hand, radio receiving section 112 receives n OFDM symbolsat the same time transmitted from maximum n mobile stations via antenna111 and performs reception processing such as down-conversion, A/Dconversion on these OFDM symbols.

CP removing section 113 removes the CP from the OFDM symbol after thereception processing.

FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) section 114 performs FFT on the OFDM symbolwithout a CP to obtain a signal for each mobile station multiplexed inthe frequency domain. Here, the respective mobile stations transmitsignals using subcarriers different from each other or RBs differentfrom each other and a signal for each mobile station includes receivedquality information for each RB reported from each mobile station. Eachmobile station can measure the received quality of each RB usingreceived SNR, received SIR, received SINR, received CINR, receivedpower, interference power, bit error rate, throughput and MCS or thelike that can achieve a certain error rate. Furthermore, the receivedquality information may be expressed as “CQI” (Channel QualityIndicator), “CSI” (Channel State Information) and so on.

In demodulation/decoding sections 115-1 to 115-n, demodulation section31 performs demodulation processing on the signal after the FFT anddecoding section 32 performs decoding processing on the demodulatedsignal. The received data is thereby obtained. Of the received data, thereceived quality information is inputted to adaptive control section116.

Adaptive control section 116 performs adaptive control over Lch databased on the received quality information for each RB reported from eachmobile station. That is, for encoding/modulation sections 102-1 to102-n, adaptive control section 116 selects MCS whereby a required errorrate can be satisfied for each RB group based on the received qualityinformation for each RB and outputs the MCS information, and forallocation section 103, adaptive control section 116 performs frequencyscheduling to determine to which RB group Lch data #1 to #n should beallocated respectively using a scheduling algorithm such as a Max SIRmethod or Proportional Fairness method. Furthermore, adaptive controlsection 116 outputs MCS information for each RB group to controlinformation generation section 105.

Next, the configuration of mobile station 200 according to the presentembodiment is shown in FIG. 2. Mobile station 200 receives amulticarrier signal, which is an OFDM symbol comprised of a plurality ofsubcarriers divided into a plurality of RBs, from base station 100 (FIG.1). Furthermore, Dch and Lch are used for each RB in a plurality of RBs.Furthermore, one of Dch and Lch is allocated to mobile station 200 inthe same subframe.

In mobile station 200, radio receiving section 202 receives the OFDMsymbol transmitted from base station 100 via antenna 201 and performsreception processing such as down-conversion or A/D conversion on theOFDM symbol.

CP removing section 203 removes CP from the OFDM symbol after thereception processing.

FFT section 204 performs FFT on the OFDM symbol without a CP to obtain areceived signal in which control information and data symbols aremultiplexed.

Demultiplexing section 205 demultiplexes the received signal after theFFT into a control signal and data symbol. Demultiplexing section 205then outputs the control signal to demodulation/decoding section 206 andoutputs the data symbol to demapping section 207.

In demodulation/decoding section 206, demodulation section 41 performsdemodulation processing on the control signal and decoding section 42performs decoding processing on the demodulated signal. Here, thecontrol information includes Dch data symbol allocation information, Lchdata symbol allocation information and MCS information.Demodulation/decoding section 206 then outputs the Dch data symbolallocation information and the Lch data symbol allocation informationout of the control information to demapping section 207.

Demapping section 207 extracts the data symbol allocated to that mobilestation from among the plurality of RBs to which data symbols inputtedfrom demultiplexing section 205 are allocated based on the allocationinformation inputted from demodulation/decoding section 206. In each RB,mapping positions of Dchs and Lchs are associated with each other inadvance as with base station 100 (FIG. 1). That is, demapping section207 stores the same mapping pattern as that of allocation section 103 ofbase station 100 and extracts Dch data symbols and Lch data symbols froma plurality of RBs according to the mapping pattern. Furthermore, whenextracting the Lch data symbol, demapping section 207 extracts Lchs inRB group units in which a plurality of RBs are grouped into a pluralityof groups. Furthermore, as described above, when a plurality of Dchs areused for a Dch data symbol of one mobile station, allocation section 103of base station 100 (FIG. 1) uses Dchs with continuous channel numbers.Furthermore, the allocation information included in the controlinformation from base station 100 indicates only the first channelnumber and the last channel number among the continuous channel numbersof Dchs used for the Dch data symbol. Thus, demapping section 207specifies Dchs used for the Dch data symbol allocated to that mobilestation based on the first channel number and the last channel numberindicated in the allocation information. To be more specific, demappingsection 207 identifies a plurality of continuous Dchs from the firstchannel number indicated in the allocation information to the lastchannel number indicated in the allocation information as Dchs used forthe Dch data symbol allocated to that mobile station. Demapping section207 then extracts the RB associated with the specified channel number ofthe identified Dch and outputs the data symbol allocated to theextracted RB to demodulation/decoding section 208.

In demodulation/decoding section 208, demodulation section 51 performsdemodulation processing on the data symbol inputted from demappingsection 207 and decoding section 52 performs decoding processing on thedemodulated signal. The received data is thereby obtained.

On the other hand, in encoding/modulation section 209, encoding section61 performs encoding processing using a turbo code or the like on thetransmission data and modulation section 62 performs modulationprocessing on the encoded transmission data to generate a data symbol.Here, mobile station 200 transmits transmission data using subcarriersor RBs different from those of other mobile stations and thetransmission data includes receiving quality information for each RB.

IFFT section 210 performs IFFT on a plurality of subcarriers comprisedof a plurality of RBs to which data symbols inputted fromencoding/modulation section 209 are allocated, to generate an OFDMsymbol, which is a multicarrier signal.

CP adding section 211 adds the same signal as the last portion of theOFDM symbol to the head of the OFDM symbol as a CP.

Radio transmitting section 212 performs transmission processing such asD/A conversion, amplification and up-conversion on the OFDM symbol witha CP and transmits the OFDM symbol to base station 100 (FIG. 1) fromantenna 201.

Next, the Dch channel mapping method according to the present embodimentwill be described. In the following explanations, a case will bedescribed as an example of configuration where a plurality ofsubcarriers comprised of one OFDM symbol are uniformly divided into 14RBs of RBs #1 to #14 as shown in FIG. 3. Furthermore, Lch #1 to #14 orDch #1 to #14 is formed with each RB and adaptive control section 116controls channels used by each mobile station. Furthermore, Lchs areallocated to each mobile station in RB group units. Here, as shown inFIG. 3, RBs #1 to #14 are grouped into RB groups RBGs #1 to #7. Here,suppose the number of RBs constituting one RB group (hereinafterreferred to as “RB group size”) is 2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, Lch#1 and Lch #2 mapped to RB #1 and RB #2 constituting RBG1 are alwaysallocated at the same time and Lch #3 and Lch #4 mapped to RB #3 and RB#4 constituting RBG2 are always allocated at the same time. The sameapplies to Lchs #5 to #14 constituting RBGs #3 to #7 respectively.Furthermore, the Lch configuration in each RB shown in FIG. 3 and theDch configuration in each RB shown below are associated with each otherin advance in allocation section 103.

Here, since frequency scheduling is performed on Lch in RB units, eachRB used for Lch includes an Lch data symbol for only one mobile station.That is, one Lch corresponding to one mobile station is formed with oneRB. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, Lchs #1 to #12 are mapped to RBs #1to #12 respectively. That is, the allocation unit of each Lch is “1 RB×1subframe.”

On the other hand, since frequency diversity transmission is carried outfor Dch, RB used for Dch includes a plurality of Dch data symbols. Here,each RB used for Dch is temporally divided into two subblocks anddifferent Dchs are mapped to each subblock. That is, a plurality ofdifferent Dchs are time-domain-multiplexed in 1 RB. Furthermore, one Dchis formed with two different RB subblocks. That is, the allocation unitof each Dch is “(1 RB×½ subframe)×2” and is the same as the allocationunit of each Lch.

Mapping Method 1 (FIG. 4)

In the present mapping method, one Dch is mapped at intervals of aninteger multiple of the RB group size for a plurality of RBs.

That is, the RB interval Gap of RBs in which one Dch is mapped is givenby following equation 1,

(Equation 1)

Gap=floor((Nrb/Nd)/RBGsize)·RBGsize  [1]

where Nrb is the number of all RBs, Nd is the number of subblocks intowhich one RB is divided and RBGsize is the RB group size.

Next, the relational expression between the channel number of Dch and anRB number of RB in which the Dch is mapped is shown. Nd RB numbers(indexes) j in which Dch #k (k=1 to 12) are mapped are given byfollowing equation 2.

(Equation 2)

j=(((k−1)+Gap·p)mod(Gap·Nd))+1, p=0, 1, . . . , Nd−1  [2]

Here, since Nrb=14, Nd=2, RBGsize=2, RB interval Gap is 6(=floor((14/2)/2)×2) according to equation 1. Therefore, equation 2above is j=(((k−1)+6·p)mod 12)+1 (p=0, 1),

where k=1, 2, . . . , 12. Thus, one Dch is mapped in a distributedmanner to two RBs of RB #(k) and RB #(k+6) which are 6 RBs apart in thefrequency domain. In other words, one Dch is distributedly mapped to RBs6 RBs apart which is an integer multiple (here, three times) of the RBgroup size (RBGsize=2) in the frequency domain. This RB interval (RBinterval 6) is a maximum interval equal to or below Nrb/Nd (=14/2) amongintervals of integer multiples of the RB group size (RBGsize=2).

To be more specific, as shown in FIG. 4, Dchs #1 and #7 are mapped to RB#1 (RB #7), Dchs #2 and #8 are mapped to RB #2 (RB #8), Dchs #3 and #9are mapped to RB #3 (RB #9), Dchs #4 and #10 are mapped to RB #4 (RB#10), Dchs #5 and #11 are mapped to RB #5 (RB #11) and Dchs #6 and #12are mapped to RB #6 (RB #12). That is, according to the present mappingmethod, the maximum number of Dchs that allocation section 103 canallocate to RBs is 12.

Next, FIG. 5 illustrates an allocation example in allocation section 103(FIG. 1) of base station 100 when four Dchs are allocated to a Dch datasymbol of one mobile station. Here, for simplicity of explanation, Dch#1, #2, #7 and #8 are allocated so that no odd subblocks are produced inRBs used for Dchs. Furthermore, allocation section 103 stores the Dchmapping pattern shown in FIG. 4 in advance and allocates Dch datasymbols to RBs according to the mapping pattern shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 5, allocation section 103 allocates Dch data symbols tothe subblock of RB #1 and subblock of RB #7 constituting Dch #1, thesubblock of RB #2 and subblock of RB #8 constituting Dch #2, thesubblock of RB #1 and subblock of RB #7 constituting Dch #7, and thesubblock of RB #2 and subblock of RB #8 constituting Dch #8. That is, asshown in FIG. 5, Dch data symbols are allocated to RBs #1, #2, #7 and#8. Therefore, four Dchs are allocated to RB subblocks RBs #1 and #2constituting RBG1, and RBs #7 and #8 constituting RBG4 covering all RBs.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, allocation section 103 allocates Lchdata symbols to the rest of the RBs other than the RBs to which Dch datasymbols are allocated, that is, RBs #3 to #6 and RBs #9 to #14. Asdescribed above, each Lch is allocated to RB group units. Thus, as shownin FIG. 5, allocation section 103 allocates Lch data symbols to RB #3and RB #4 constituting RBG2 in which Lch #3 and Lch #4 are mappedrespectively, RB #5 and RB #6 constituting RBG3 in which Lch #5 and Lch#6 are mapped respectively, RB #9 and RB #10 constituting RBG5 in whichLch #9 and Lch #10 are mapped respectively, RB #11 and RB #12constituting RBG6 in which Lch #11 and Lch #12 are mapped respectivelyand RB #13 and RB #14 constituting RBG7 in which Lch #13 and Lch #14 aremapped respectively. That is, Lchs #3 to #6 and Lchs #9 to #14 shown inFIG. 3 are used for Lch data symbols. Thus, when Lch data symbols areallocated to RBs other than the RBs to which Dch data symbols areallocated, allocation section 103 can allocate Lch data symbols in RBgroup units covering all RBs.

Next, an extraction example in demapping section 207 of mobile station200 (FIG. 2) will be described where Dch data symbols using four Dchsare allocated to mobile station 200. Here, for simplicity ofexplanation, Dchs #1, #2, #7 and #8 are used for Dch data symbols sothat no odd subblocks are produced in RBs. Furthermore, as withallocation section 103, demapping section 207 stores the Dch mappingpattern shown in FIG. 4 in advance and extracts Dch data symbols from aplurality of RBs according to the mapping pattern shown in FIG. 4.

As with allocation section 103, as shown in FIG. 5, demapping section207 extracts Dch #1 formed with the subblock of RB #1 and the subblockof RB #7, Dch #2 formed with the subblock of RB #2 and the subblock ofRB #8, Dch #7 formed with the subblock of RB #1 and the subblock of RB#7 and Dch #8 formed with the subblock of RB #2 and the subblock of RB#8. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, demapping section 207 extracts Dch datasymbols allocated to RBs #1, #2, #7 and #8 as data symbols directed tothe subject station. In other words, as shown in FIG. 5, demappingsection 207 extracts four Dchs allocated to RBG1 formed with RBs #1 and#2 and RBG4 formed with RBs #7 and #8 covering all RBs as data symbolsdirected to the subject station.

Thus, according to the present mapping method, the RB interval of RBs towhich one Dch is mapped is set to an integer multiple of the RB groupsize of the RB group used for Lch allocation (three times in the presentmapping method). When Lchs are allocated to the rest of the RBs afterDchs are allocated, this allows the base station to allocate Lchs in RBgroup units without producing any RBs that cannot be used. Therefore,according to the present mapping method, even when frequency schedulingtransmission and frequency diversity transmission are at the same timecarried out, it is possible to prevent the system throughput fromdeteriorating due to deterioration of the utilization efficiency ofcommunication resources. Furthermore, according to the present mappingmethod, Lchs can be allocated without producing any unoccupied RBs andthe throughput of Lchs can therefore be improved. Furthermore, accordingto the present mapping method, Lchs are allocated to RB group units, andtherefore the amount of control information for indicating the Lchallocation result can be reduced.

Here, with 14 RBs (RBs #1 to #14) shown in FIG. 4, a maximum of 14 Dchscan be allocated. By contrast, according to the present mapping method,a maximum of 12 Dchs can be allocated as described above. That is,according to the present mapping method, the number of Dchs that can beallocated are reduced by an amount corresponding to the RB group size(two Dchs in FIG. 4) at a maximum. However, since the applications ofDchs are limited to data communication when a mobile station moves at ahigh speed or the like, it is extremely rare that Dchs are allocated toall RBs. Therefore, there is substantially no deterioration of systemthroughput due to a decrease in the number of Dchs that can be allocatedusing the present mapping method. Moreover, the improvement in thesystem throughput by allocating Lchs without producing any unoccupiedRBs # using the present mapping method becomes more significant than thedeterioration of system throughput.

Although a case has been described in the present mapping method whereone RB is divided into two portions when Dchs are used, the number ofdivisions is not limited to 2, and one RB may be divided into threeportions. For example, FIG. 6 illustrates a mapping method where one RBis divided into three portions when Dchs are used. In the mapping methodillustrated in FIG. 6, when, for example, six Dchs are mapped, Dchs canbe mapped within RB groups covering all RB subblocks, and thereforeeffects similar to those of the present mapping method can be obtained.Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, since one Dch is configured distributedacross three RBs, the diversity effect can be improved more than thecase of division into two portions.

Mapping Method 2 (FIG. 7)

The present mapping method is the same as mapping method 1 in that oneDch is mapped at intervals of an integer multiple of the RB group sizeamong a plurality of RBs, but the present mapping method is differentfrom mapping method 1 in that one Dch is mapped at the maximum intervalamong possible intervals of integer multiples of the RB group size.

That is, RB interval Gap between RBs to which one Dch is mapped is givenby following equation 3.

(Equation 3)

Gap=floor((Nrb−Wgap·Nd)/RBGsize)·RBGsize+Wgap  [3]

where, Wgap=floor((Nrb/Nd)/RBGsize)·RBGsize and is equivalent toequation 1.

Nd RB numbers (indexes) j to which Dch #k (k=1 to 12) are mapped aregiven by equation 4.

(Equation 4)

j=((k−1)mod(Wgap))+1+Gap·p, p=0, 1, . . . , Nd−1  [4]

where, Dchs of k=1, 2, . . . , Wgap are mapped to the first-half RBsubblocks and Dchs of k=Wgap+1, Wgap+2, Wgap×Nd are mapped to thelast-half RB subblocks.

Here, since Nrb=14, Nd=2, RBGsize=2 and Wgap=6, the RB interval Gap is 8(=floor((14/2)/2)×2+6) according to equation 3. Therefore, aboveequation 4 becomes j=((k−1)mod(6))+8×p (p=0, 1). where, k=1, 2, . . . ,12. Thus, one Dch is mapped in a distributed manner to two RBs of RB#(k) and RB #(k+8) which are 8 RBs apart in the frequency domain. Inother words, one Dch is distributedly mapped to RBs 8 RBs apart which isan integer multiple (here, four times) of the RB group size (RBGsize=2)in the frequency domain. Furthermore, according to the present mappingmethod (Equation 3), the RB interval increases by the number of RBs ofRB groups to which Dchs are not allocated compared to the RB interval(Equation 1) of mapping method 1. To be more specific, according tomapping method 1 (FIG. 4), Dchs are not mapped to two RBs of RBs #13 and#14. Therefore, the RB interval Gap according to the present mappingmethod becomes 8 RBs which is greater by 2 RBs than the RB interval of 6RBs according to mapping method 1. This is because, according to mappingmethod 1 (FIG. 4), RBs in which no Dch is mapped are allocated to an endof all the RBs, whereas according to the present mapping method, RBs inwhich no Dch is mapped are allocated at the central part of all the RBs.

To be more specific, as shown in FIG. 7, Dchs #1 and #7 are mapped to RB#1 (RB #9), Dchs #2 and #8 are mapped to RB #2 (RB #10), Dchs #3 and #9are mapped to RB #3 (RB #11), Dchs #4 and #10 are mapped to RB #4 (RB#12), Dchs #5 and #11 are mapped to RB #5 (RB #13), and Dchs #6 and #12are mapped to RB #6 (RB #14). That is, according to the present mappingmethod, the maximum number of Dchs that can be allocated to RBs byallocation section 103 is 12 as with mapping method 1. Furthermore,according to mapping method 1 (FIG. 4), RBs in which no Dch is mappedare last RBs #13 and #14 of RBs #1 to #14, whereas according to thepresent mapping method, RBs in which no Dch is mapped are RBs #7 and #8as shown in FIG. 7. That is, no Dch is mapped to the central part of allthe RBs. Thus, two RB subblocks constituting each Dch are mappedextending to a maximum extent over RBs #1 to #6 and RBs #9 to #14 onboth sides of RBs #7 and #8. That is, Dchs #1 to #12 are mapped at amaximum interval (interval of 8 RBs) among possible intervals of integermultiples of the RB group size out of 14 RBs.

Next, as with mapping method 1, FIG. 8 illustrates a mapping examplewhere four Dchs are used for Dch data symbols of one mobile station.Here, Dchs #1, #2, #7 and #8 are allocated as with mapping method 1.Furthermore, allocation section 103 stores the Dch mapping pattern shownin FIG. 7 in advance and allocates Dch data symbols to RBs according tothe mapping pattern shown in FIG. 7.

As shown in FIG. 8, allocation section 103 allocates Dch data symbols tothe subblock of RB #1 and the subblock of RB #9 constituting Dch #1, thesubblock of RB #2 and the subblock of RB #10 constituting Dch #2, thesubblock of RB #1 and the subblock of RB #9 constituting Dch #7, and thesubblock of RB #2 and the subblock of RB #10 constituting Dch #8. Thatis, Dch data symbols are allocated to RBs #1, #2, #9 and #10 as shown inFIG. 8. That is, the four Dchs are allocated to RBs #1 and #2constituting RBG1, and RBs #9 and #10 constituting RBG5 covering all RBsubblocks.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, allocation section 103 allocates Lchdata symbols to the rest of the RBs #3 to #8 and RBs #11 to #14 otherthan the RBs to which the Dch data symbols have been allocated. Here,allocation section 103 allocates Lch data symbols in RB group units aswith mapping method 1. To be more specific, as shown in FIG. 8,allocation section 103 allocates Lch data symbols to two RBsconstituting RBGs #2, #3, #4, #6 and #7 respectively. That is, Lchs #3to #8 and Lchs #11 to #14 shown in FIG. 3 are used for the Lch datasymbols. Thus, when allocating Lch data symbols to blocks other than theRBs to which the Dch data symbols have been allocated, allocationsection 103 can allocate the Lch data symbols in RB group units coveringall RBs as with mapping method 1.

Next, an extraction example in demapping section 207 of mobile station200 (FIG. 2) will be described where Dch data symbols using four Dchsare allocated to mobile station 200. Here, Dchs #1, #2, #7 and #8 areused for Dch data symbols as with mapping method 1. Furthermore,demapping section 207 stores the Dch mapping pattern shown in FIG. 7 inadvance as with allocation section 103 and extracts Dch data symbolsfrom a plurality of RBs according to the mapping pattern shown in FIG.7.

As with allocation section 103, as shown in FIG. 8, demapping section207 extracts Dch #1 formed with the subblock of RB #1 and the subblockof RB #9, Dch #2 formed with the subblock of RB #2 and the subblock ofRB #10, Dch #7 formed with the subblock of RB #1 and the subblock of RB#9, and Dch #8 formed with the subblock of RB #2 and the subblock of RB#10. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, demapping section 207 extracts Dchdata symbols allocated to RBs #1, #2, #7 and #8 as data symbols directedto the subject station. In other words, as shown in FIG. 8, demappingsection 207 extracts four Dchs allocated to RBG1 formed with RBs #1 and#2, and RBG5 formed with RBs #9 and #10 covering all RBs as data symbolsdirected to the subject station.

Here, in FIG. 8, as in the case of mapping method 1 (FIG. 5), Dch datasymbols are allocated to four RBs and Lch data symbols are allocated to10 RBs. However, according to the present mapping method as shown inFIG. 8, Dch data symbols are allocated in a distributed manner to RB #1,RB #2, RB #9 and RB #10, and therefore the interval thereof is longer bythe RB interval where no Dch is mapped (2-RB interval of RBs #7 and #8)than by mapping method 1 (FIG. 5). Therefore, the present mapping methodcan improve the frequency diversity effect.

By this means, the present mapping method maps one Dch at a maximuminterval (8-RB interval four times the RB group size in FIG. 7) amongpossible intervals of integer multiples of the RB group size. By thismeans, Lchs can be allocated in RB group units while maximizing the RBinterval of one Dch without producing any RB that cannot be used.Therefore, according to the present mapping method, it is possible toobtain effects similar to those of mapping method 1 and improve thefrequency diversity effect compared to mapping method 1.

Although a case has been described in the present mapping method whereone RB is divided into two portions when Dchs are used, the number ofdivisions of one RB is not limited to two, but the number of divisionsof one RB may be three or more as in the case of mapping method 1.

Mapping Method 3 (FIG. 9)

The present mapping method is the same as mapping method 1 in that oneDch is mapped at intervals of an integer multiple of the RB group sizeamong a plurality of RBs, but the present mapping method differs frommapping method 1 in that a plurality of Dchs with continuous channelnumbers are mapped to one RB.

Hereinafter, the present mapping method will be described morespecifically. Here, one Dch is mapped to two RBs which are mapped in adistributed manner at intervals of 6 RBs as with mapping method 1 (FIG.4).

As shown in FIG. 9, Dchs #1 and #2 with continuous channel numbers aremapped to RB #1 (RB #7). Likewise, Dchs #3 and #4 are mapped to RB #2(RB #8), Dchs #5 and #6 are mapped to RB #3 (RB #9), Dchs #7 and #8 aremapped to RB #4 (RB #10), Dchs #9 and #10 are mapped to RB #5 (RB #11)and Dchs #11 and #12 are mapped to RB #6 (RB #12).

Thus, since one Dch is mapped to two RBs at intervals of 6 RBs, whenallocating Lchs to the rest of the RBs after allocating Dchs as withmapping method 1, it is possible to allocate Lchs in RB group unitswithout producing any RBs that cannot be used. Furthermore, since aplurality of Dchs with continuous channel numbers are mapped to one RB,when one mobile station uses a plurality of Dchs, all the one RBsubblocks are used first and then the other RBs are used. Therefore,data symbols are allocated to some subblocks of a plurality of subblocksconstituting one RB, and on the other hand, it is possible to minimizethe possibility that other subblocks may not be further used. This makesit possible to improve the utilization efficiency of Dch resources.

Furthermore, as with mapping method 1, allocation section 103 of basestation 100 (FIG. 1) and demapping section 207 of mobile station 200(FIG. 2) store the Dch mapping pattern shown in FIG. 9, which is thecorrespondence between RBs and Dchs, in advance. Allocation section 103of base station 100 then allocates Dch data symbols to RBs according tothe Dch mapping pattern shown in FIG. 9. On the other hand, demappingsection 207 of mobile station 200 extracts Dch data symbols directed tothe subject station from a plurality of RBs according to the Dch mappingpattern shown in FIG. 9 as with allocation section 103.

By this means, the present mapping method maps a plurality of Dchs withcontinuous channel numbers in one RB, and thereby increases theprobability that data symbols may be allocated to all RB subblocks usedfor Dchs. Therefore, it is possible to prevent deterioration of systemthroughput due to deterioration of the utilization efficiency ofcommunication resources compared to mapping method 1.

As with mapping method 2 (FIG. 7), the present mapping method may mapone Dch at the maximum interval among possible intervals of integermultiples of the RB group size. To be more specific, as shown in FIG.10, one Dch may be mapped to RBs mapped in a distributed manner atintervals of 8 RBs. This makes it possible to achieve a diversity effectsimilar to that of mapping method 2 while achieving effects similar tothose of the present mapping method.

Mapping Method 4 (FIG. 11)

The present mapping method is the same as mapping method 1 in that oneDch is mapped at intervals of an integer multiple of the RB group sizeof a plurality of RBs, but the present mapping method is different frommapping method 1 in that a plurality of Dchs with continuous channelnumbers are mapped to different RBs constituting one RB group.

Hereinafter, the present mapping method will be described morespecifically. Here, as with mapping method 1 (FIG. 4), one Dch is mappedto two RBs mapped in a distributed manner at intervals of 6 RBs.

As shown in FIG. 11, Dchs #1 and #3 are mapped to RB #1 (RB #7), Dchs #2and #4 are mapped to RB #2 (RB #8), Dchs #5 and #7 are mapped to RB #3(RB #9), Dchs #6 and #8 are mapped to RB #4 (RB #10), Dchs #9 and #11are mapped to RB #5 (RB #11) and Dchs #10 and #12 are mapped to RB #6(RB #12).

That is, as shown in FIG. 11, Dchs #1 to #4 with continuous channelnumbers are mapped to RBs #1 and #2 (RBs #7 and #8) constituting RBG1(RBG4). Furthermore, in RBG1 (RBG4), Dch #1 (Dch #3) and Dch #2 (Dch #4)with continuous channel numbers among Dchs #1 to #4 are mapped todifferent RBs of RB #1 and #2 respectively. Furthermore, as shown inFIG. 11, Dch #3 and Dch #2 with continuous channel numbers are alsomapped to different RBs of RBs #1 and #2 respectively. The same appliesto RBG2 (RBG5) and RBG3 (RBG6).

Thus, since a plurality of Dchs with continuous channel numbers aremapped to one RB group, even when one mobile station uses a plurality ofDchs, RBs are used in RB group units for Dchs. Therefore, when RBs otherthan the RBs used for Dchs are allocated to Lchs, RBs can also be usedin RB group units for Lchs. That is, since RBs can be used exhaustively,it is possible to prevent deterioration in the utilization efficiency ofcommunication resources more than mapping method 1. Furthermore, in theRB group, Dchs with continuous channel numbers are mapped to differentRBs, and therefore the diversity effect can be improved.

Furthermore, as with mapping method 1, allocation section 103 of basestation 100 (FIG. 1) and demapping section 207 of mobile station 200(FIG. 2) store the Dch mapping pattern shown in FIG. 11, which is thecorrespondence between RBs and Dchs, in advance. Allocation section 103of base station 100 then allocates Dch data symbols to RBs according tothe Dch mapping pattern shown in FIG. 11. On the other hand, as withallocation section 103, demapping section 207 of mobile station 200extracts Dch data symbols directed to the subject station from aplurality of RBs according to the Dch mapping pattern shown in FIG. 11.

By this means, the present mapping method maps a plurality of Dchs withcontinuous channel numbers in different RBs constituting one RB grouprespectively. By this means, even when a plurality of Dchs are used, theplurality of Dchs are collectively allocated in RB group units. That is,even when one mobile station uses a plurality of Dchs, Dchs areallocated to RB units, and therefore Lchs can also be allocated in RBgroup units. Thus, the present mapping method can prevent deteriorationof system throughput due to deterioration of the utilization efficiencyof communication resources compared to mapping method 1. Furthermore,since different Dchs with continuous channel numbers are allocated todifferent RBs within one RB group, the frequency diversity effect can befurther improved.

As with mapping method 2 (FIG. 7), the present mapping method may alsomap one Dch at the maximum interval among possible intervals of integermultiples of the RB group size. To be more specific, as shown in FIG.12, one Dch may be mapped to RBs mapped in a distributed manner atintervals of 8 RBs. This makes it possible to achieve a diversity effectsimilar to that of mapping method 2 while achieving effects similar tothose of the present mapping method.

Mapping Method 5 (FIG. 13)

The present mapping method is the same as mapping method 4 in that aplurality of Dchs with continuous channel numbers are mapped todifferent RBs constituting one RB group, but the present mapping methodis different from mapping method 4 in that a plurality of Dchs withdiscontinuous channel numbers are mapped to mutually neighboring RBsamong a plurality of RBs constituting mutually neighboring RB groups.

Hereinafter, the present mapping method will be described morespecifically. Here, as with mapping method 1 (FIG. 4), one Dch is mappedto two RBs mapped in a distributed manner at intervals of 6 RBs.

As shown in FIG. 13, Dchs #1 and #7 are mapped to RB #1 (RB #7), Dchs #2and #8 are mapped to RB #2 (RB #8), Dchs #5 and #11 are mapped to RB #3(RB #9), Dchs #6 and #12 are mapped to RB #4 (RB #10), Dchs #3 and #9are mapped to RB #5 (RB #11), and Dchs #4 and #10 are mapped to RB #6(RB #12).

That is, as shown in FIG. 13, Dchs #1 and #2 (Dchs #7 and #8) withcontinuous channel numbers are mapped to RBs #1 and #2 constitutingRBG1. Likewise, Dchs #5 and #6 (Dchs #11 and #12) with continuouschannel numbers are mapped to RBs #3 and #4 constituting RBG2, and Dchs#3 and #4 (Dchs #9 and #10) with continuous channel numbers are mappedto RBs #5 and #6 constituting RBG3.

Furthermore, a plurality of different Dchs with discontinuous channelnumbers are mapped to RB #2 and RB #3, which are mutually neighboringRBs (that is, RBs on the boundary between RBG1 and RBG2) of RBsconstituting mutually neighboring RBG1 (RBs #1 and #2) and RBG2 (RBs #3and #4). To be more specific, as shown in FIG. 13, Dch #2 and Dch #5(Dch #8 and Dch #11) with discontinuous channel numbers are mapped to RB#2 and RB #3 respectively. Likewise, Dch #6 and Dch #3 (Dch #12 and Dch#9) with discontinuous channel numbers are mapped to mutuallyneighboring RB #4 and RB #5 among RB #3 and #4 constituting RBG2, and RB#5 and #6 constituting RBG3. The same applies to RBG4 to RBG6.

By this means, at least one set of Dchs with continuous channel numbersis mapped to one RB group. Furthermore, channel numbers of Dchs mappedto mutually neighboring RBs among a plurality of RBs constitutingmutually neighboring RB groups respectively are discontinuous. In otherwords, Dchs with continuous channel numbers among Dchs mapped todifferent RB groups are mapped to RBs distributed in the frequencydomain.

Thus, when one mobile station uses many Dchs, allocation section 103allocates Dchs to RBs distributed in the frequency domain, and therebyprovide frequency diversity effect. On the other hand, when one mobilestation uses a fewer Dchs, allocation section 103 can collectivelyallocate Dchs within an RB group. By this means, when RBs other than theRBs used for Dchs are allocated to Lchs, RBs can also be used in RBgroup units for Lchs. That is, RBs can be used exhaustively, and it istherefore possible to prevent deterioration of the utilizationefficiency of communication resources.

Furthermore, as with mapping method 1, allocation section 103 of basestation 100 (FIG. 1) and demapping section 207 of mobile station 200(FIG. 2) store the Dch mapping pattern shown in FIG. 13, which is thecorrespondence between RBs and Dchs, in advance. Allocation section 103of base station 100 then allocates Dch data symbols to RBs according tothe Dch mapping pattern shown in FIG. 13. On the other hand, as withallocation section 103, demapping section 207 of mobile station 200extracts Dch data symbols directed to the subject station from aplurality of RBs according to the Dch mapping pattern shown in FIG. 13.

By this means, the present mapping method maps a plurality of Dchs withdiscontinuous channel numbers in mutually neighboring RBs among aplurality of RBs constituting mutually neighboring RB groups. Thus, aswith mapping method 1, it is possible to prevent deterioration of systemthroughput due to deterioration in the utilization efficiency ofcommunication resources when one mobile station uses a fewer Dchs, andimprove the frequency diversity effect when one mobile station uses manyDchs.

According to the present mapping method, one Dch may be mapped at themaximum interval among possible intervals of integer multiples of the RBgroup size as with mapping method 2 (FIG. 7). To be more specific, asshown in FIG. 14, one Dch may be mapped to RBs mapped in a distributedmanner at intervals of 8 RBs. This makes it possible to achieve adiversity effect similar to that of mapping method 2 while achievingeffects similar to those of the present mapping method.

Mapping methods 1 to 5 according to the present embodiment have beendescribed so far.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to preventdeterioration in the utilization efficiency of communication resourceseven when frequency scheduling transmission through Lchs and frequencydiversity transmission through Dchs are carried out at the same time.

An embodiment has been described so far.

In the above described embodiment, the channel mapping method formapping Dchs in RBs depends on the number of all RBs (Nrb) determined bythe system bandwidth as shown in equation 1 or equation 3. Therefore,the base station and mobile station may be configured to have a table ofcorrespondence between Dch channel numbers and RB numbers for eachsystem bandwidth (e.g., FIG. 4, FIG. 7, FIG. 9, FIG. 11 and FIG. 13) andlook up the table of correspondence corresponding to the systembandwidth to which Dch data symbols are allocated when allocating Dchdata symbols.

Furthermore, a case has been described with the above-describedembodiment where a signal received by the base station (that is, asignal transmitted by the mobile station over an uplink) is transmittedbased on an OFDM scheme, but this signal may also be transmitted basedon transmission schemes other than the OFDM scheme such as asingle-carrier scheme or CDMA scheme.

Furthermore, a case has been described with the above-describedembodiment where an RB is formed with a plurality of subcarrierscomprised of an OFDM symbol, but an RB may be any block formed withcontinuous frequencies.

Furthermore, a case has been described with the above-describedembodiment where RBs are continuously configured in the frequencydomain, but RBs may also be continuously configured in the time domain.

Furthermore, a case has been described with the above-describedembodiment is applied to a signal transmitted by the base station (thatis, a signal transmitted by the base station over a downlink), butembodiments may also be applied to a signal received by the base station(that is, a signal transmitted by the mobile station over an uplink). Inthis case, the base station performs adaptive control such as RBallocation on an uplink signal.

Furthermore, in the above described embodiment, adaptive modulation isperformed on Lchs only, but adaptive modulation may also be performed onDchs likewise. In this case, the base station may perform adaptivemodulation on Dch data based on average received quality information ofan entire band reported from each mobile station.

Furthermore, a case has been described with the above-describedembodiment where RB used for Dch is divided into a plurality ofsubblocks in the time domain, but RB used for Dch may also be dividedinto a plurality of subblocks in the frequency domain or may also bedivided into a plurality of subblocks in the time domain and frequencydomain. That is, a plurality of Dchs may be frequency-domain-multiplexedin one RB or may be time-domain-multiplexed orfrequency-domain-multiplexed.

Furthermore, although a case has been described in the presentembodiment where when a plurality of different Dchs with continuouschannel numbers are allocated to one mobile station, only the firstchannel number and the last channel number are reported from the basestation to the mobile station, the first channel number and the numberof channels may be reported from the base station to the mobile station.

Furthermore, although a case has been described in the presentembodiment where one Dch is mapped to RBs which are mapped to bedistributed uniformly in the frequency domain, RBs to which one Dch ismapped are not limited to RBs mapped to be distributed uniformly in thefrequency domain.

Furthermore, although a case has been described with the above-describedembodiment where Dchs are used as channels for carrying out frequencydiversity transmission, the channels are not limited to Dchs, but thechannels may be any channels that are mapped in a distributed manner ina plurality of RBs or a plurality of subcarriers in the frequency domainand can provide frequency diversity effect. Furthermore, although Lchsare used as the channels for carrying out frequency schedulingtransmission, the channels used are not limited to Lchs, but thechannels may be any channels that can provide multiuser diversityeffect.

Furthermore, Dch may also be referred to as “DVRB” (Distributed VirtualResource Block) and Lch may also be referred to as “LVRB” (LocalizedVirtual Resource Block). Furthermore, RB used for Dch may also bereferred to as “DRB” or “DPRB” (Distributed Physical Resource Block) andRB used for Lch may also be referred to as “LRB” or “LPRB” (LocalizedPhysical Resource Block).

Furthermore, a mobile station may also be referred to as “UE,” a basestation apparatus may also be referred to as “Node B” and a subcarriermay also be referred to as “tone.” Furthermore, an RB may also bereferred to as a “subchannel,” “subcarrier block,” “subcarrier group,”“subband” or “chunk.” Furthermore, a CP may also be referred to as a“guard interval (GI)”. Furthermore, a subframe may also be referred toas a “slot” or “frame.” A subblock may also be referred to as a “slot.”

Furthermore, a case has been described with the above-describedembodiment where an RB is divided into two subblocks in the time domainand Dch is allocated thereto, and each divided subblock may be referredto as “RB.” In this case, encoding and adaptive control or the like areperformed in two RBs in the time domain.

Moreover, although cases have been described with the embodiment aboveconfigured by hardware, embodiments may be implemented by software.

Each function block employed in the description of the aforementionedembodiment may typically be implemented as an LSI constituted by anintegrated circuit. These may be individual chips or partially ortotally contained on a single chip. “LSI” is adopted here but this mayalso be referred to as “IC,” “system LSI,” “super LSI” or “ultra LSI”depending on differing extents of integration.

Further, the method of circuit integration is not limited to LSI's, andimplementation using dedicated circuitry or general purpose processorsis also possible. After LSI manufacture, utilization of an FPGA (FieldProgrammable Gate Array) or a reconfigurable processor where connectionsand settings of circuit cells within an LSI can be reconfigured is alsopossible.

Further, if integrated circuit technology comes out to replace LSI's asa result of the advancement of semiconductor technology or a derivativeother technology, it is naturally also possible to carry out functionblock integration using this technology. Application of biotechnology isalso possible.

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-000198, filed onJan. 4, 2008 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-062970, filed onMar. 12, 2008, including the specification, drawings and abstract, isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present disclosure is applicable to a mobile communication system orthe like.

1. A device, comprising, circuitry, which, in operation, allocatesresource blocks, each of which being formed of consecutive subcarriersin a frequency domain, to a terminal according to one of a plurality ofresource allocations including: a resource allocation allocatingDistributed Virtual Resource Blocks (DVRBs), where a pair of DVRBsassigned with a single resource block number are mapped to PhysicalResource Blocks (PRBs) with a variable gap in the frequency domain, thevariable gap is an integer multiple of an applicable Resource BlockGroup (RBG) size defined as a number of one or more consecutive resourceblocks forming one RBG, and the variable gap is obtained based on bothan applicable system bandwidth and the applicable RBG size; and aresource allocation allocating one or more RBGs; and a transmitter,which, in operation, transmits data using the allocated resource blocksto the terminal.
 2. The device according to claim 1 wherein theapplicable system bandwidth is configured out of a plurality of systembandwidths, and the variable gap and the applicable RBG size aredetermined from the configured system bandwidth.
 3. The device accordingto claim 1 wherein the applicable RBG size is greater than one.
 4. Thedevice according to claim 1 wherein the pair of DVRBs assigned with thesingle resource block number are mapped to PRBs that are different in atime domain.
 5. The device according to claim 1 wherein the transmitter,in operation, transmits control information indicating the allocatedresource blocks to the terminal.
 6. The device according to claim 5wherein DVRBs with consecutive resource block numbers are allocated tothe terminal, and the control information is based on a startingresource block number and a number of allocated DVRBs with consecutiveresource block numbers.
 7. The device according to claim 5 wherein thecontrol information includes a bitmap indicating RBGs allocated to theterminal.
 8. The device according to claim 1 wherein Localized VirtualResource Blocks (LVRBs), which are mapped to PRBs, are allocated to theterminal by units of RBGs.
 9. The device according to claim 1 whereinthe variable gap is a largest gap which is an integer multiple of theRBG size and which is equal to or less than Nrb/Nd, where Nrb is theapplicable system bandwidth expressed as a total number of resourceblocks, and Nd is a total number of DVRBs mapped to PRBs in the samefrequency in a subframe.
 10. The device according to claim 1 wherein thevariable gap is a largest gap which is an integer multiple of the RBGsize and which is available based on the applicable system bandwidth.11. A device, comprising, circuitry, which, in operation, allocatesresource blocks, each of which being formed of consecutive subcarriersin a frequency domain, to a terminal according to one of a plurality ofresource allocations including: a resource allocation allocatingDistributed Virtual Resource Blocks (DVRBs), where a pair of DVRBsassigned with a single resource block number are mapped to PhysicalResource Blocks (PRBs) with a variable gap in the frequency domain, thevariable gap is an integer multiple of an applicable Resource BlockGroup (RBG) size defined as a number of one or more consecutive resourceblocks forming one RBG, and the variable gap is a function of both anapplicable system bandwidth and the applicable RBG size; and a resourceallocation allocating one or more RBGs; and a transmitter, which, inoperation, transmits data using the allocated resource blocks to theterminal.
 12. The device according to claim 11 wherein the applicablesystem bandwidth is configured out of a plurality of system bandwidths,and the variable gap and the applicable RBG size are determined from theconfigured system bandwidth.
 13. The device according to claim 11wherein the applicable RBG size is greater than one.
 14. The deviceaccording to claim 11 wherein the pair of DVRBs assigned with the singleresource block number are mapped to PRBs that are different in a timedomain.
 15. The device according to claim 11 wherein the transmitter, inoperation, transmits control information indicating the allocatedresource blocks to the terminal.
 16. The device according to claim 15wherein DVRBs with consecutive resource block numbers are allocated tothe terminal, and the control information is based on a startingresource block number and a number of allocated DVRBs with consecutiveresource block numbers.
 17. The device according to claim 15 wherein thecontrol information includes a bitmap indicating RBGs allocated to theterminal.
 18. The device according to claim 11 wherein Localized VirtualResource Blocks (LVRBs), which are mapped to PRBs, are allocated to theterminal by units of RBGs.
 19. The device according to claim 11 whereinthe variable gap is a largest gap which is an integer multiple of theRBG size and which is equal to or less than Nrb/Nd, where Nrb is theapplicable system bandwidth expressed as a total number of resourceblocks, and Nd is a total number of DVRBs mapped to PRBs in the samefrequency in a subframe.
 20. The device according to claim 11 whereinthe variable gap is a largest gap which is an integer multiple of theRBG size and which is available based on the applicable systembandwidth.
 21. A communication method, comprising, allocating resourceblocks, each of which being formed of consecutive subcarriers in afrequency domain, to a terminal according to one of a plurality ofresource allocations including: a resource allocation allocatingDistributed Virtual Resource Blocks (DVRBs), where a pair of DVRBsassigned with a single resource block number are mapped to PhysicalResource Blocks (PRBs) with a variable gap in the frequency domain, thevariable gap is an integer multiple of an applicable Resource BlockGroup (RBG) size defined as a number of one or more consecutive resourceblocks forming one RBG, and the variable gap is obtained based on bothan applicable system bandwidth and the applicable RBG size; and aresource allocation allocating one or more RBGs; and transmitting datausing the allocated resource blocks to the terminal.
 22. A communicationmethod, comprising, allocating resource blocks, each of which beingformed of consecutive subcarriers in a frequency domain, to a terminalaccording to one of a plurality of resource allocations including: aresource allocation allocating Distributed Virtual Resource Blocks(DVRBs), where a pair of DVRBs assigned with a single resource blocknumber are mapped to Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) with a variable gapin the frequency domain, the variable gap is an integer multiple of anapplicable Resource Block Group (RBG) size defined as a number of one ormore consecutive resource blocks forming one RBG, and the variable gapis a function of both an applicable system bandwidth and the applicableRBG size; and a resource allocation allocating one or more RBGs; andtransmitting data using the allocated resource blocks to the terminal.